At the present time a wide variety of construction techniques are utilized in the fabrication of multi-story buildings. In accordance with one widely used technique, each successive floor of the building is constructed by means of forms positioned on the next lower floor. When all of the forms necessary for the construction of at least a section of a particular floor are in place, concrete is poured onto the forms. When the concrete has cured sufficiently, the forms are removed.
In an effort to reduce both the cost and time involved in form construction, the use of so called flying forms has evolved. After the concrete of a particular floor in a multi-story building has cured, the flying forms are lowered and moved laterally out from beneath the floor. A crane is used to receive, raise, and position the flying forms. When all of the flying forms are properly located, the concrete for the next successive floor of the building is poured and allowed to cure. This procedure is then repeated until all of the floors comprising the building have been constructed.
Notwithstanding the widespread use of the flying form technique in the construction of multi-story buildings, currently available flying form systems exhibit numerous problems. For example, many of the presently available systems are not readily adapted for changeover between one building design and another. Many flying form systems employ loose leveling jacks which can fall when the forms are moved from one floor to the next, resulting in damage or injury. Presently available flying form systems often require the use of expensive accessories, which may actually be idle for long periods of time. Some flying form systems necessitate the use of air compressors and other expensive machinery which must be either rented or purchased by the contractor, thereby adding to the cost of building construction.
Another difficulty which characterizes presently available flying form systems involves the fact that the component parts thereof are not readily adapted to a variety of uses. That is, while a particular system might be readily adapted to flying form applications, the component parts of the system cannot be used in applications such as forming walls, forming floors between previously formed columns, etc. Under such circumstances the contractor is forced to purchase and use substantially duplicate components in order to complete all of the tasks that might be required in the construction of a particular building.
The present invention comprises a concrete forming system which overcomes the foregoing and other difficulties long since associated with the prior art. In accordance with the broader aspects of the invention, a concrete forming system comprises components which may be utilized in such diverse applications as flying truss forms, flying pan deck forms, rolling structural beam forms, rolling deck scaffold forms, column hung forms, and wall forms. Thus, by means of the invention it is unnecessary to purchase and use substantially duplicate components in order to fulfill the requirements of various diverse concrete forming applications.
Concrete forming systems incorporating the invention are readily adapted to changes in building design. For example, changes in truss spacing and/or chord length can be accomplished utilizing simple hand tools. Both longitudinal and transverse beam forms can be added to or removed from the basic forming system with equal ease. Concrete forming systems incorporating the invention do not include any loose parts whatsoever, thereby eliminating the danger of damage or injury when the forms are moved. The practice of the invention does not involve the use of expensive accessories or equipment, thereby leading to reduced building construction costs.